How to Reset Windows 10 Back to Factory State

In our daily computer usage, we install and uninstall software from time to time. Earlier when you accidentally ended up installing software that makes some unwanted and irreversible changes to your Windows PC, the only solution was to reinstall Windows all over again. But now you can just refresh or reset your Windows installation back to factory state as if you have just installed it. The resetting of Windows does not remove your personal files, user accounts or other important settings and is therefore completely safe for troubleshooting problems related to Windows system files corruption.

Here is how you can reset your Windows 10 PC back to the factory state without losing user data and user accounts:

  1. Press the hotkey Win+I to open the Settings app.
  2. Select Update and Security category in the Settings app.Reset Windows 10
  3. Select the Recovery option from the left-side and then click on the Get Started button under the Reset this PC section.Reset Windows 10
  4. You will be asked if you want to keep your files or remove everything. If you choose to remove everything, then your user data, personal files, installed apps and settings shall be removed.Reset Windows 10
  5. You will be shown a list of apps that will be removed during the reset process. These apps need to be reinstalled by you either by downloading them from the internet or from Windows Store.Reset Windows 10
  6. You will be shown a summary of what is going to happen during the reset process. Click on the Reset button when it is displayed.Reset Windows 10
  7. Insert or attach the Windows 10 installation media when asked and wait for the reset process to complete.

When you need a fresh start with your Windows 10 PC, you can just reset it instead of reinstalling Windows all over again. Resetting Windows 10 does not remove your personal files and other important settings, making it easy to start using a fresh copy of Windows 10 once again.